Long Black Veil - (Lefty Frizzell cover) by Terry Harrison

This is my version of Long Black Veil. This song was first recorded by Lefty Frizzell in 1959. It has since been recorded by dozens of singers ranging from Johnny Cash to Bruce Springsteen to Joni Mitchell to Dave Matthews.

Originally recorded in Nashville in 1959 by Lefty Frizzell and produced by Don Law, it reached #6 on the U.S. Country chart. The song was written by composer and singer Danny Dill with Marijohn Wilkin in a folk music style in 1959. Wilkin also played piano on the original recording by Frizzell.
The writers later stated that they drew on three sources for their inspiration: Red Foley's recording of "God Walks These Hills With Me"; a contemporary newspaper report about the unsolved murder of a priest; and the legend of a mysterious veiled woman who regularly visited Rudolph Valentino's grave. Dill himself called it an "instant folksong".
It is definately not a happy song but I have always liked it. I hope some of you enjoy my version.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classic
• country
• Lefty
• Frizzell
• 1959
• 1950s
• music
• sad
• songs
• Johnny
• Cash
• Dave
• Matthews
• Emmylou
• Harris
• Bruce
• Springsteen
• Gillian
• Welch
• Mike
• Nesmith
• The
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• Bobby
• Bare
• ballad
• 50s
• ballads
• folk
• easy
• listening
• Terry
• Harrison
• gypsy
• singers
• romany
• Houston
• Texas
• folk music
• mountain
• story songs

[lloydhorlick]

Terry, this is very nice rendition of the great Lefty song! Keep 'em comin', my friend!

[terrisonb]

@lloydhorlick Thank you very much. They just don't write songs like this any more.

[RidingTrailsOfGold]

She was playing the piano in a recording session with Lefty Frizzell that night and pitched the song, had to come up with the melody on the spot.  I read somewhere that it is the most recorded country song ever. And I agree you really do a good job singing it!

[terrisonb]

@RidingTrailsOfGold Thank you very much for your response. I wanted to record this song for a long time. I am so glad I found this backing track. Also thank you for the great information. It is always facinating to learn more about this great old music. I hope you will check out some more of my old song covers sometime........Terry

[fanchbrezoneg]

a strange and terrific song ! great performance ;

[terrisonb]

@fanchbrezoneg Thank you very much. I agree that this is a strange song. I have wondered how the writer came up with this premise in the 1950's.

[RidingTrailsOfGold]

@terrisonb I spent many days with Danny Dill in the last years just before he died. He said he never considered it a real song, just a shell of a song that he needed to "flesh out a little bit". He had a couple of events that partially inspired this song. One being a story he had heard about a woman who put flowers on Rudolph Valentino's grave every day. He wrote all the words and gave it to Marijohn Wilkin one morning telling her to see if she could make anything out of it .

[Joe65Charel]

@Joe65Charel thats cool i like tht song

[terrisonb]

@Joe65Charel Well that always makes it more interesting when its about your hometown. I have been thinking of recording "Houston" by Dean Martin since I live in Houston Texas.

[Joe65Charel]

@terrisonb awsome man i lovethe song cuz i livein saginaw lol